While it is understandable why people focus on the 50 states and the federal district (D.C.), the United States is not just those areas. In addition to the states, the United States has 14 territories. Five of these have a permanent population: Puerto Rico, the Northern Marianas Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Up until recently, Puerto Rico received preferential treatment for the surplus property program and under the mentor-protégé program, but the other four territories did not. However, a new final rule by the SBA is finally extending these privileges to all the permanently populated U.S. territories. In this post, we will explore just what that entails.
Continue reading…SmallGovCon Week in Review: August 22-26, 2022
Happy Friday, Readers. I hope this has been a productive week for you. We have been very busy here at SmallGovCon moving into the fall season. Living in a college town always brings a sense of energy and excitement as the students return for the fall semester.
The SBA made announcements this week about a new webinar series they are launching concerning the challenges of inflation on small businesses as well as a new program addressing cybersecurity infrastructure. You can read more about that, as well as other federal government news, in the articles we have included below. Have a great weekend!
Continue reading…Congress Directs SBA to Take Stab at COVID-19 Loan Fraud
President Biden signed two bills aimed at preventing fraud by participants within the Small Business Association on August 2, 2022. H.R. 7334 is titled the COVID-19 EIDL Fraud Statute of Limitations Act of 2022 (EIDL Act). H.R. 7352 is titled the PPP and Bank Fraud Enforcement Harmonization Act of 2022 (PPP Act). Both Acts establish a ten-year statute of limitations for fraud by borrowers under their respective programs. The head of the U.S. Small Business Administration, Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman credited the Acts with a renewed ability to investigate and prosecute borrowers who committed fraud in SBA lending programs created to assist small businesses during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
For both programs, the main purpose is to put in place a a ten-year statute of limitations for fraud.
Continue reading…Back to Basics: SBA’s Mentor-Protégé Program
One of the biggest gamechangers among Federal Contracting programs is the SBA’s Mentor Protégé Program. It provides an avenue for small businesses and large businesses to work together where they otherwise may not have been able to previously, helps federal contractors develop their companies, and can provide protection from affiliation. However, in order for businesses to take advantage of this program, the relationship between the mentor and protégé businesses must meet certain requirements. This entry in SmallGovCon’s Back to Basics series will provide a quick overview of some of the requirements and important areas for contractors to remember if they are considering participating in the SBA’s Mentor-Protégé Program.
Continue reading…SmallGovCon Week in Review: August 15-19, 2022
Happy Friday, Readers. I wanted to send another thank you to Carter Merkle, Berbon Hamilton, and all the other folks who made the ICBS Show 2022 such a great experience. There were some informative speakers and a great opportunity for networking. I was very pleased to be able to speak about local opportunities related to the infrastructure law. Hope you have a nice weekend and enjoy the Week In Review.
This week saw some interesting federal contracting stories, including new deadlines for GSA MACs, working with agency small business offices, and a spotlight on OCIs.
Continue reading…Reading the Tea Leaves from SBA’s Regulatory Agenda
We’re back with another edition of looking for interesting tidbits from SBA’s semiannual regulatory agenda. SBA (along with other agencies) provide a guide to upcoming regulations. This schedule can help contractors determine when SBA is likely to update certain rules. Here are a few key updates.
Continue reading…Webinar Event: Still a Game Changer: The SBA Mentor-Protégé Program (2022 Update)
Koprince McCall Pottroff LLC will be presenting a webinar hosted by Govology, on the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Small Mentor-Protégé Program that will be on August 30 at 1:00pm EST.
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